Dark Side of the Fridge

Monday Musings – 08.10.2009 August 10, 2009

Happy Monday (or whatever day you’re here) to you! My goodness, we’ve had a rough couple of weeks, what with dental work and the poor, pitiful puppy and all. And that saga’s not over – he’s going to another vet this week for a “second opinion” – we’re trying to get him into canine hydrotherapy treatment – I have high hopes for this treatment! A non-weight-bearing exercise is exactly what he needs. As I understand it, the treatment for canine hip dysplasia is very similar to that for arthritis, and I’m certainly open to anything except the really crack-pot stuff!

With all the attention focused on the dog lately, we wouldn’t want anyone to think we’d forgotten about the Dear Kitty – of course not! When we were in Petsmart the other day looking for something to help keep the dog amused, we knew we couldn’t come home without a new toy for the kitty, too.

After all, we love all of our babies – the kitty, the puppster AND Surly Boy!

Anyway, we picked up a new toy for the kitty – a fishy-bird – which we left out for her to discover when I took the dog for his morning walk.

When I got back, I saw that she had found it.

I think our kitty’s got some aggressions to work through, huh?

You know what season this is in upstate New York? It’s BLUEBERRY season!

The blueberries here are just about at their peak – ripe and sweet and, well, blue. We are so fortunate to have a pick-your-own farm so close by – we picked apples last fall (and plan to again this fall!), and we picked strawberries earlier this year, too, at the same place. I’ve also gotten peaches, raspberries and pumpkins there – it’s just a great all-purpose farm!

So while Peeps was hard at work Saturday morning making bread and pasta, I was working in the “field” picking blueberries!

I know these are locally-grown – I picked them myself!

You know what’s funnier than cops having a donut-eating contest? When a fireman wins!

Peeps and I had a little shopping to do this weekend, and in the “large item” section of Tops, we couldn’t help noticing that, besides the gallon jars of pickles and the oversized cans of tuna, they’re now stocking gallon jugs of Miracle Whip. That’s not even the amazing thing, though!

The jugs of Miracle Whip have HANDLES! Even the Hellmans doesn’t have a handle! What, is someone going to pour this stuff?

Of course, that’s not all. Oh no. We also checked out the “chocolate milk” section, and what did we see?

Blue Buffalo Bills Birthday Cake Milk.

Let me repeat that.

Buffalo Bills Birthday Cake . . . Milk. That was blue.

I have no idea what flavor “blue” is when it comes to milk. And honestly, I prefer it that way!

So, did I mention that while I was picking blueberries, apricots are just coming into season too?

Yeah.

Six quarts of blueberries isn’t enough fruit for me – oh no! Now I’ve also got about 5 pounds of apricots to find a use for.

I fear that I’m a fruit-a-holic.

I love having fresh fruit (and vegetables) in the house, and when they’re in season, I can’t resist them, even if we have no need for them and no place to keep them and not enough people to eat them.

I do love me some fresh fruit, though – I may try making apricot preserves – this time with no pectin!

Oh, sometimes we just crack ourselves up! No time right now for watching a full-length movie, so I found a, well, summary.

And once again, it’s time for the weekly menu plan.

Last week, we had a couple of surprise hits! The Swiss chard-rice dish was, while not perfect, certainly not a failure, and the chicken we grilled with it was, if I do say so myself, amazing. Check back later on this week, and I’ll tell you all about it! The currant-onion sauce we made up for pork tenderloin was also quite delightful! So . . . onward and upward, right?

Monday – It’s been humid and rainy here, and it looks like that pattern is expected to continue a couple more days. We’re going to do a cornflake-parmesan crusted chicken in the oven along with some potatoes and beets.

Tuesday – Peeps has invited his employer over for dinner – the poor man never cooks for himself, and, from what I understand, his eating habits are appalling! We pulled a bunch of jambalaya out of the freezer and will serve that, along with some fresh dinner rolls. I’m also going to make a pie for dessert – guess what kind! (I’ll give you a hint – it’s a berry, and it’s BLUE!)

Wednesday – Let’s hope the weather breaks by Wednesday, because we’re planning salmon on the grill, and I hate cooking fish in the house! We’ll also grill some potatoes and have the first broccoli from the garden .

Thursday – The weather forecast is for Thursday to be TOO hot and TOO humid. Since the deck (and thus the grill) is on the west side of the house, we’ve learned that when it gets like that, the last thing anyone wants to stand out in the ICK weather over a hot grill. Peeps pulled some already-smoked pork chops from the freezer which we can reheat, along with some sauteed (garden fresh) Swiss chard and maybe a batch of rice. Quick, easy, and nothing gets overheated!

Friday – Pizza night! I’m just starting to pick fresh tomatoes from the garden, and as far as I’m concerned, there’s no better pizza than a brush of olive oil, some fresh herbs, and sliced fresh tomatoes, with a sprinkling of good romano cheese. . . I’m happy to have that every week during tomato season!

Good morning (afternoon now, though), Judy! Thanks so much for your regular visits!

I love farmer’s markets too! I’ve always enjoyed them – used to take The Boy every chance we’d get!

The swim therapy should be just the ticket for him – they need a vet’s sign off, then he’s good. The dysplasia is such a common thing with dogs his size, and we did adopt him without knowing anything about is parents. It was almost a sure thing that he’d have problems.

Kitty’s new toy is looking to be one of her favorites, isn’t it? She used to have a “mousy-bird” that, every chance she’d get, she’d tear into it, until it was nothing more than a plastic ball with some tufts of hair still stuck to it . . .we tried to get her replacements, but she’s always loved the original one. I think she’s trying to do the same thing with the Fishy-Bird. I don’t know what it is – between my kid and the pets, we just can’t keep any nice things!

[…] you’ll recall, I mentioned the other day that I’d gone blueberry-picking last weekend. Sorry in advance for […]

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About the ToyLady

About me. Hmm. Nothing exciting, for sure. Work full time as a paralegal and this is my lame attempt to "get a life." I said it was lame, didn't I?
Seriously, I have opinions on just about everything. . . from food to politics to common courtesy to childrearing. . .
I guess, like any other writing, we'll just have to see where this takes us, huh?

About Peeps

I'm the boring part of the team. That's okay, though. I don't mind. My wife is really the star. That's why I married her.